Until We Have Freedom
by LilTigerTGP
Summary: She hadn't sung on a stage for six years. She hadn't felt the sun on her skin in six years. She hadn't seen her dads in six years. There was so much she hadn't done, and it was tearing her up inside. All she could do was hope; and even then it wouldn't stay until they had freedom. Rated T for themes and language. Eventual Finchel.
1. A Typical Day

**Hey everyone! Here I am with a new story. Yes, I know I should probably finish up the other two that have been sitting around collecting dust for a couple years, but after watching the movie _Room_ I got inspired and decided to write something else. If I get muse for my other fanfics, then I will continue to write those. I originally rated this M, but after reviewing the guidelines and how I want to write this, I'm dropping it down to T. There will be some language, minor acts of violence, and mentions of rape throughout the story, so be cautious.  
**

 **I do not own Glee or the songs sung. The only characters I own in this chapter are Ava and Paul.**

 **Enjoy (as best as you can.)**

* * *

 _"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine_

 _you make me happy, when skies are grey_

 _you never know dear_

 _how much I love you_

 _please don't take_

 _my sunshine away."_

"Mommy, you have such a pretty voice," Ava complimented her mother's singing ability, which Rachel knew already. For these past six years however, Ava was the only one to truly appreciate her gift.

"Thank you sweetie," Rachel continued to stroke her daughter's dark brown hair that was just brushed a few minutes ago. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Yes! Can I have a chocolate chip muffin today? Pretty please Mommy?" the little girl jumped off the battered couch and bounced up and down to illustrate how much her request excited her.

"Honey, I'm sorry but we're all out of muffins. You know we only get them once a month," Rachel felt bad for not being able to fulfill her daughter's wish. Se struggled to get off the couch and made her was to the cellar's pantry to see what was inside. "We have some cereal and one last pack of pop tarts."

"I will have pop tarts then," Ava sighed as her frown grew larger. Rachel heated them up in the microwave and put them on their small table along with some milk; she herself got a small bowl of cereal and some orange juice.

She sat down with her daughter and stared off into space until she heard Ava's soft voice speak again, "Does the baby like our cereal and milk?"

"Yes, I think the baby does," Rachel placed her hand over her bulging stomach and caressed it softly.

"Would it like pop tart?" she broke a piece off and waved it in the air.

"Not now, maybe when it's with us it will like it, but not today," the mother continued to eat her breakfast until it was all gone. Ava slowly ate hers and once she was done she wandered off back to her play table and started to draw. Rachel cleared the table, washed off the plates, and put them away. She returned to her spot on the couch and continued to stroke her belly while staring off into space. She estimated herself to be 35 weeks along, which felt like an eternity.

Hell, everything felt like an eternity down here.

She hadn't sung on a stage for six years. She hadn't felt the sun on her skin in six years. She hadn't seen her dads in six years. There was so much she hadn't done, and it was tearing her up inside. The only thing stopping her from completely crumbling was Ava, but at the same time her daughter made her want to break into a million pieces and float away in the wind. All she could do was hope; and even then it wouldn't stay until they had freedom.

"Mommy! Look! I drew us!" Ava ran up to her mom and showed her her masterpiece. It consisted of a pink Ava - her favorite color, - a purple Rachel, and a blue belly. A small sigh of relief escaped the woman's lips; she was glad he wasn't in the picture.

"This is beautiful sweetie. I'll put it on my bedside table. Thank you," she squeezed her daughter tight and didn't want to let go. The only true safe space for Ava was in her arms.

 **-Freedom-**

The rest of the day passed as slow as it usually did. Besides the cleaning and meals, the pair only had three types of entertainment: their imagination, tv, and Rachel singing. The third one was mainly used to keep Ava calm and for Rachel to keep her sanity.

Once six o'clock hit, Rachel turned on the news and watched it silently while Ava played. The only reason she watched it was so she could still feel in the loop of something, whatever that was daughter was still young enough to not care about the news.

After all the important stories aired, the news anchor turned to the camera with a lost expression on her face. "This week marks the sixth anniversary of 18 year old Rachel Berry's disappearance. As of today's date, she would be 24 years old. Anchorman Rod Remington interviewed Miss Berry's parents to discuss their daughter."

The news then switched to a prerecorded segment focusing on LeRoy and Hiram Berry. Watching her dads upset and distraught made her sad and distraught. A few tears streamed down her face while she listened to them talk.

"We still believe she's alive. Our shining star is out there somewhere, and we're going to find her one day. Rachel, if you're somehow watching this, we love you and miss you. Please come home," Hiram spoke for the two and the both looked at the camera.

"I love you too Daddy and Papa," she whispered while whiping the tears from her face.

"You really believe they're going to find you, huh?" the sudden deep voice startled her. That's when she saw him slowly descent the basement stairs after slowly shutting the door behind him. "They don't care about you anymore, otherwise you'd be with them. But this is your home now, you're safer here than out there."

"Yes Paul, you're right. I don't know what I was thinking," Rachel had to treat Paul like he was the king of the universe in order to spare herself from his wrath, but even then he would still take out any emotion he had on her.

"How's my baby doing?" he came over and placed his hands on her stomach and kissed the belly gently. Her skin crawled while he did this; even though he wasn't hurting her she still felt as violated as she could be. "He's growing big."

"It could be a girl, you know."

"I already have a girl," he looked over at Ava - who was now napping in their bed -with a neutral look on his face. "I want a boy. If you could give me a boy, maybe things would be better around here."

Her daughter and future baby were the only thing that made this hellhole "better."

"Don't zone out while I'm talking to you," Paul grabbed her wrist tightly and twisted it a bit. She had gotten used to his typical attention getting ways that it didn't hurt anymore. He looked back over at Ava, then back over at Rachel. "Why doesn't she ever talk to me?"

"I don't know."

"You probably tell her lies about me, about how I'm evil. Well, I'm not evil. If I was evil then I wouldn't have saved you six years ago. Not to mention she's my blood, which means she's going to be a wonderful person when she's older, unlike you who is nothing but a liar. You know...all you do is piss me off. One more strike and I'll take away the tv," he shook his head while walking back up the stairs.

"I wish they weren't your blood," Rachel whispered. She didn't think that was loud enough for him to hear until he came back and slapped her in the face.

"How many times do I have to tell you to shut your mouth?" he pointed his finger in her face. "You need to learn to respect me, then maybe I'll respect you some more. I can easily take precious Ava away from you, got it?"

"Yes sir."

"Mommy...what's going on?" tiny Ava woke up, rubbing her eyes to see what was going on.

"Nothing Ava, I was just being careless as usual towards your...father. Now, go back to sleep. Everything's ok," and within seconds her daughter drifted back to sleep.

"That sounds better. I'll be back tomorrow with groceries for you, and you better be good then," Paul left without saying another word and slammed the door behind him once he made it upstairs.

Rachel rubbed her face to try to help the tingling sensation on her cheek go away. That was mild compared to what she had endured in the past. The only times he didn't hurt her as much was when she was pregnant, making that seventeen months of her time in this basement where she dealt with minor abuse. She had to get out of here with her daughter and unborn baby before they all got older. The only thing she feared more than her safety was the future because of how uncertain it was.

The future constantly plagued her mind everyday, and she had to figure out how to secure it as soon as possible before it was too late.

* * *

 **Dark, I know. Will Rachel find happiness for her and her daughter? Only time will tell.**

 **Coming up in chapter 2: While Rachel tries to come up with a plan to escape, she remembers the day when her life changed forever.**

 **Please like, favorite and review! Thank you for reading!**


	2. The Beginning

**Hi everyone! I'm just as surprised that I updated this quickly as you all probably are. Thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows I got for chapter 1! They keep me wanting to write.**

 **Also, I didn't put this is the summary but this is AU. For the sake of the story, Finn and Rachel never met. I'll get more into then when I introduce Finn into the story. Otherwise, everything is sort of the same as in the series.**

 **I don't own Glee or it's characters. I only own Ava and Paul.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _April 5th, 2012_

 _"We killed our auditions Rachel! We're totally going to NYADA in the Fall!" Kurt grabbed his friend's shoulders and held them tight while they walked side of side. Rachel, too, was beaming with pride.  
_

 _"I have never been more sure of anything Kurt, and I'm sure that we've got this!" she squealed with excitement as they approached Kurt's car. "I say we celebrate tonight. How about we go to Breadstix?" Granted, Breadstix was the crown jewel of Lima, Ohio, but it was still a special place for people to celebrate momentous occasions like this one._

 _"I think that's a marvelous idea," they got into the car and Kurt dropped her off at her house. "I'll pick you up at 8."_

 _"K, I'll see you then," Rachel blew her friend a kiss and watched him pull out of her driveway. She saw that both of her dads were home right now which pleased her greatly. With them both being there, it would be easier for her to tell them how her audition went._

 _"Daddy! Papa! I'm home!" Rachel put her keys on the side table and walked into the kitchen to to see them sitting at the island._

 _"Hello pumpkin!" Hiram embraced his daughter and Leroy joined him. They let her go so she could join them on the stools. "How was your audition?"  
_

 _"Oh...it went so well! I want to tell you more, but I'd like to save it for later for our Late Night Wind Down," whenever one of the Berry's had a big event, they would always tease it and save it for before bed when they'd all relax just before bed. "Can I go out to dinner with Kurt tonight to celebrate?"  
_

 _"Sure Princess," Leroy said._

 _"Thank you!" she gave both of them a kiss and darted out of the kitchen._

 _"Can't you at least tell us what song you picked?" Leroy asked. Rachel returned to curl her fingers around the doorway and had a sheepish grin._

 _"All I am saying is that it's from a Funny Girl."_

 **-Freedom-**

Rachel woke up from her dream; well, it seemed like a dream. Technically, her brain was just replaying her last day of normalcy in her sleep cycle. This happened every year around the anniversary, and it caused her great emotional pain. All it did was take her back to the joy, the anger, and the helplessness of April 5th, 2012. All those emotions stayed in the current year of 2018 except for joy.

Then again, Ava brought her joy. Rachel squeezed her daughter tight as she laid beside her, watching her sleep. Her daughter's pure innocence relieved the anxiety she had on some days; those days she had to focus on her daughter to get through them.

When she felt her daughter twitch, she knew it was time to get up to prepare for her day. Rachel got up from bed and headed over to the shower, which was just a few steps away. Everything was so articulately placed down here, leaving her with enough space for the two of them. She had no idea how she was going to fit another baby down here.

While she showered, the brunette's thoughts raced again. With this baby on the way, she knew there would be changes coming; and they wouldn't be good. What was Paul going to do if the baby wasn't a boy? Even if it wasn't a boy, he could still do harm to the infant. What if he got rid of it?

Then if hit her.

What if he _did_ get rid of the newborn?

The water was ice cold by the time she thought of a possible plan. She shut the water off and stepped outside of the shower and wiped herself off with a towel. She threw on a baggy shirt and some sweatpants and examined her bump some more. Even though she had done this before, it still felt like a new experience having a baby grow inside of her. While her hands traced her belly, she felt a few kicks on her right hand.

"I know you're there," she giggled softly. "I can't wait to meet you."

Once the kicking stopped, she returned to her brainstorming. She sat on the couch and jotted down some ideas in her brain. Granted, the newborn wouldn't be able to help much but it would be a big part of the plan. If she could get Paul to take the infant into the outside world for some reason, that might be the ticket to getting out of this place.

* * *

 _"These vegetarian meatballs are finally good! It only took them five years," Rachel finished chewing her bite of meatball before praising it. "How is your food Kurt?"_

 _"Good, as usual," he took another bite of his pasta before stopping to take a rest. He raised his iced tea with lemon in the air to signal a toast. "To us, for basically becoming freshman of the most prestigious musical theatre school in the country."_

 _"To us," Rachel smiled, clinging her glass of water with his drink. She finished her pasta just as he did. It was just small talk until that point when Rachel pondered on a serious thought. "Kurt?"_

 _"Hmm?"_

 _"What if one of us doesn't make it?" she questioned with a serious tone. Kurt's smile vanished, wondering the same things she was._

 _"That's crazy. We're going to make it...unless one of us does and the other doesn't. If that happens, there's always the spring semester for one of us to get in."_

 _And sometimes, Rachel didn't think before she spoke. "If it were between me and you for one last spot, I feel as though I should get it."_

 _"Seriously?" Kurt scoffed. "What makes you think you deserve it more than me?"_

 _"I've been doing this since I was 18 months old. After all these years, I think that I have proven myself on all aspects of musical theatre. I mean, when was the last time you got a significant part in a school musical?"_

 _Kurt's mouth taped open at her harsh words. Following that was the shake of his head in disapproval. "I can't believe you would say such a thing. Then again, you're Rachel Berry, queen of narcissism."_

 _"Take that back!"_

 _"Take back what you said before, then I will!"_

 _"Not when I mean it!" Rachel slammed her fist on the table, and that's what did it in for Kurt. He threw some money on the table and left without another word. When he was gone, she let out a huge sigh. How could she be so stupid with her words sometimes? Looking back on the past few minutes, she regretted them. Now she was getting a headache. Could tonight get any worse?_

 _"Here's your receipt," the waiter arrived at her table to present her with the receipt. Rachel placed her money in the book and took the receipt with her. "Have a good night."_

 _"You too," she took her coat and got up from her seat to go call her dads from outside. "Daddy, it's me. Kurt had an emergency and had to leave, can you come pick me up? I'll be waiting inside, text me when you get here. Love you."_

 _She told her dad that she would be inside, but she took a few minutes to stand outside and stare at the beautiful night sky to clear her thoughts. She looked at her phone again and texted Kurt "I'm sorry. If there's any way I can make it up to you I will." He would probably take it as a half-hearted apology, but Rachel would give a better apology in person tomorrow at school._

 _Right when she put her phone back in her purse, the receipt she still had in her hand blew away from her in the breeze._

 _"No wait! Come back!" It may have just been a receipt, but Rachel hated littering._

 _The teenager caught up to piece of paper at the edge of the property, just by the sidewalk. "Aha! And they say I can't run!"_

 _Rachel wasn't paying attention to the bright lights that landed on her from behind. Just as she was going to turn around a hand grabbed her mouth and the other grabbed her waist. "Don't try to fight me or else I'll kill you."_

 _She kicked and wrestled to try and break free, but she didn't prevail. He threw her in the trunk of his car. She let out a short wail before something hard hit her head and everything went black._

* * *

 **...and that's how this story truely begins. The only person that is to blame for this whole situation is Paul for being crazy.**

 **Coming up in chapter 3: Rachel figures out the missing piece to her escape puzzle, except all it does is trigger memories back to her first week living in the basement.**

 **Please favorite, follow,and review! Thank you for reading!**


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